Chapter 4

SPOV

In the morning when she woke, Eric was snuggled against her side. She was surprised to feel him so close, even more so at how warm his skin seemed. She stretched in the bed arching her back, letting out a small yawn as she did so. Even in his daytime rest, Eric still looked every bit the formidable vampire that he was. She tucked a lock of blond hair behind his ear, placed a warm kiss to his forehead and slipped off the edge of the bed.

She shuffled into the bathroom, took care of her human needs and covered herself with the robe that hung on the back of the door. She smiled wryly as she padded through the room snuggling into the warm material, not at all surprised how perfectly it fit her. She paused at the door, glancing once more at her sleeping vampire and then wandered into the living area hungry for food. She found a small fridge under the bar and from there she pulled out a carton of orange juice, some cheese and some bread. Cheese toast sounded good to her that morning and while she waited for it to melt in the toaster oven, she sipped on her orange juice.

The clock on the microwave read 4:45 and she knew Eric would wake soon. The timer dinged on the toaster oven and she quietly munched on her toast, weighing the events of the last 24 hours. While she was still afraid of what had happened yesterday she did feel safe in his care. She wondered who or what had tried to stop them yesterday, marveling at the strength of what ever had grabbed Eric’s boot. All of the time that she had known him, she had never seen anything as strong and powerful as he. She swallowed the last of her toast and tipped her glass to finish her juice.

She returned to the bedroom, slipped off her robe and crawled into bed with Eric, who still slumbered on his side just as she had left him. She nestled into his body, tucking her head under his chin and bringing his arm back around her waist. Her insides gently began to tingle and her heart beat faster, her body letting her know Eric would be waking soon. As if he knew she was thinking of him, his long fingers began to stroke the small of her back. He pulled her closer, his hand slipping down to cup her bottom. “Good evening, lover,” his voice was thick with sleep.

She tilted her head and pressed a soft kiss to the side of his neck. “Good evening, Eric. Did you rest well?”

“Yes, I did, I enjoyed falling asleep with you.” He spoke softly, nuzzling his nose into her hair and breathing her in deeply. She heard the telltale click of his fangs.

“Are you hungry, Eric?” Her small hands slowly ran up and down his arm, feeling his muscles tense under her touch. Against her stomach and she could feel the signs of his arousal.

He growled under his breath and whispered, “I am always hungry for you, my lover.”

She lifted her face up to his and lost herself momentarily in the endless blue of his eyes. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers softly, and she opened her mouth running her tongue along his firm upper lip. He groaned deep in his throat and allowed her entrance, his tongue hungrily searching for hers. His kiss left her breathless as his lips trailed down her jaw and to her neck. He licked and sucked at the base of her neck, the tips of his fangs scraping her flesh.

His body pressed hers into the mattress as he rolled her onto her back. She felt the comforting weight of his body covering her small frame, and her lips desperately sought his as he rested himself between her thighs. She was nearly blind with her desire for him and her hands ran down his bare back leaving in their wake deep red scratches. He growled into her mouth, not from the pain but from her sheer want of him. One large hand cupped her breast while the other slid between them, languidly stroking her mouth found her hard nipple and he latched on desperately, his fangs sensuously breaking her skin as he sucked. She reached down to where his hardness rested heavily on her thigh, stroking him and lifting her hips to urge him on. His fingers stilled inside her and he raised his head to hers.

“I do not believe that I can go slow tonight,” he whispered. “I find that I am nearly starved with want for you.”

Her eyes held his and her hand urged him to her. He braced his hands on either side of her shoulders, his eyes locked with hers. He pressed against her warm center and his lips trembled as he restrained himself. “I do not want to hurt you, my lover.”

She smiled tenderly, her hand tracing the side of his face, her fingertips memorizing him. “You won’t hurt me, Eric. I want you as deeply as you want me. Please.” She captured his bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled, sucking it into her mouth. He moaned as she drew blood.

The last of his will slipped away as he pushed himself inside of her. Her cry met his and they began to move together, her hips matching each of his thrusts. It was frantic, desperate, passionate and needy; as if they had just been reminded that one or both of them could have died yesterday.

“Sookie,” he whispered, rubbing her cheek. “I love you.”

Her heart soared and she choked back a soft sob, closing her eyes to hide tears. Eric had never said those words to her before. She felt his thumb brush delicately under her eyes and then his lips quickly replaced it. “Sookie, please do not cry. I do not mean to make you sad.”

She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and held him to her, her tears wetting his bare chest and shook her head. “I am not sad,” she responded running a hand up to his hair gripping it in her fingers. “I love you, too. I just never thought–”

He stroked her hair comfortingly and his body had stilled inside of her. He rose up a bit so that he could again see her face, longing to see her blue eyes. “What is it, my lover?”

“I never thought I would hear those words from you.” She searched his face and she could see his love for her as plainly as his lust.

He chuckled softly. “And I never thought I would have those words say. I once told you to not use words that I do not understand, love being one of them. You have not only helped me to understand the meaning of love, but also the feeling. You are mine, Sookie, body and soul–as I am yours.”

Her heart skipped a beat at his words and her mouth curved into a soft smile. “I am yours.” His lips crashed to hers and in response her hands grasped his firm behind urging him to move inside of her again.

Eric let an unnecessary breath escape from his mouth as he ground himself into her. “I will always protect you, my lover.” His eyes locked with hers as he promised, “vengeance will be mine and justice will be brought.”

He slid his hand between them, expertly working her body. She cried out as her release neared, “I’m so close, Eric. Please, come with me.”

As her body began to tense around his, he sunk his fangs into her breast again. She grabbed his arm and brought his wrist to her mouth biting as hard as she could. He roared in ecstasy, the words of a language long dead tumbling from his lips. He began to release himself inside her and his lips found purchase on her breast again. She gave in to the warmth of his blood running through her veins and allowed herself to be carried away by their joining.

His body trembled over hers, his head now spent upon her breast. His free hand reached for hers, lacing his long fingers through her petite ones. His wrist now healed, she placed a kiss on the new skin then began to run her fingers through his silky hair.

She knew they were on the edge of something huge, but whatever came next, with him by her side, she would go bravely forward.